State Representative Mike McLane has been following the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida. He was especially impressed with Paul Ryan's speech on Wednesday night.

McLane believes the speech also connected with voters in his district and elsewhere.

"We are gonna get a bump and my hope is that Paul Ryan's addition to the ticket will have an impact in emphasizing the 'math' of the budget. That's really Paul Ryan's forte'. He's been called the 'intellectual Republican'. But his speech emphasized that math is not Republican or Democrat...it's not conservative or liberal, it's just math and the math doesn't add up."

McLane says he's talked to many Central Oregon voters who are concerned about runaway federal and state spending.

"The concern clearly is about the ability of our government at all levels to fund essential services and make sure our kids have the tools they need to succeed. People are very concerned about what has been - frankly- fiscal irresponsibility at the federal level and it has leaked down to all levels."

As a new leader in the Republican Party he says he hopes to make a big difference next session in tackling some of the tough fiscal issues in Salem. He also wants to keep the focus on expanding OSU-Cascades to a four year University.

McLane was a guest on 1110 KBND's "Your Town" at 8:40 Thursday morning.

The Federal Government has announced more than 75 million dollars in “Youthbuild Grants” will be distributed around the country to programs, which deal with at risk youth.

Heart of Oregon Corps, was the only organization in Oregon to receive a grant from this program. Heart of Oregon Corps will receive 1.1 million dollars that it will use to provide job training and mentoring to at risk individuals age 16 to 24.

Mount Bachelor season passes go on sale today at the discounted pre-season rates.

This year Bachelor is keeping the prices on passes the same as last year, plus they have introduced the “Season Passholder Report” on their website which will allow people to learn more about how the mountain is run.

In Bend on Thursday a World War 2 veteran will be honored in a special ceremony at Stone Lodge.

Jonathan West will get the Congressional Gold Medal for his role in a segregated black unit that worked on damaged war equipment by day and fought off the Japanese by night. The Japanese continually tried to retake the island. Local veteran Lyle Hicks says the Montford Point Marines made a big difference in the war effort.

Hicks spoke to KBND news on Tuesday morning.

"SO EARLIER ON THIS YEAR CONGRESS AWARDED THEM A UNIT AWARD- THE CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL - WHICH IS A REALLY BIG SOLID GOLD MEDAL -JONATHAN WASN'T ABLE TO GET BACK TO WASHINGTON D.C. TO DO THAT SO WE'RE GOING TO MAKE SURE THAT HE GETS HIS AWARD IN A PROPER CEREMONY AT STONE LODGE."

It is believed that 420 members of the unit are still living- news reports say about 370 were present at the congressional ceremony in Washington DC on June 27th.

Hicks further explains the tough job the Montford Point Marines had to pull off.

"AND THeir JOB WAS TO WORK ON EQUIPMENT THAT WAS BROKEN DOWN AND SEND it OUT DURING THE DAY - BUT AT NIGHT THEY HAD TO REPEL THE JAPANISE FORCES THAT WERE TRYING TO TAKE THE ISLAND BACK - SO THEY DIDN'T GET A WHOLE LOT OF REST - SO THEY DID AN EXCELLent JOB AND WERE A GREAT PART OF THE WAR EFFORT."

The unit was among the first wave of black men recruited or drafted into the Marines, and it was named after the segregated boot camp in North Carolina.

A very large wildfire near Lakeview is now 100 percent contained. But a fire spokeswoman says we could still get a lot of smoke from the fire in Central Oregon.

Full containment means a fire line is completed around the fire's edges and it's not expected to spread further.

Spokesperson Lucinda Nolan says the Barry Point Fire started on August 6th by a lightning strike.

She spoke to 1110 KBND news Tuesday morning.

"the fire started in the fremont winema national forest above lakeview oregon. it has grown to about 92,000 acres and it crossed over to the modoc national forest which is by alturas california- the fire is still burning in the interior part of the fire- and we do have 100 percent containment- so we'll continue to see smoke until we get a weather changing event such as rain or snow."

Even though its now 100 percent contained area and road closures in California and Oregon are still in effect to provide for public and firefighter safety.

Fire crews are still mopping up hot spots just in case winds kick up and threaten to push the flames past the containment line.

No structures were damaged in the blaze, though two injuries were reported. One was a spider bite and the other was a steam injury to a firefighter putting water on a hot spot. About 500 firefighters remain on the line today.

Last year, the Oregon Legislature created a task force comprised of people appointed by the governor to make recommendations on how to improve the higher educational opportunities for Oregonians.

The task force will be meeting in Bend on September 26th at 3 pm in Cascades Hall on the COCC campus. Members of the public are encouraged to attend and give feedback about their thoughts and experiences with higher education.

The task force will report their findings to the legislature in October.

A leader for the Oregon Department of Veterans Affairs is afraid there won't be enough money to help returning veterans from the Middle East.

Tom Mann spoke to 100's of northwest Veterans at their annual picnic which was help near Corvallis on Saturday.

"we know as veterans the work just starts as the war ends- last year the federal v-a- had a million claims- a stunning amount of work! and then as they answered those 1 million claims - 1.2 million came in - can you imagine what's going to happen if a million troops come home? who is going to be there to help them?"

Mann is urging older veterans to reach out and help the younger veterans. He asked all veterans to speak out more, get involved in the political process, to make sure that veterans programs get the funding needed.

A Bend man is in Florida for the Republican National Convention as a "back-up" delegate. John Philo with "Deschutes County Republicans" says eve though all the different regions of the country are there - the main issues are not very diverse. In this election he says its all about the economy and jobs.

"we're seeing here at our hotel - we have the illinoIs delegation with us- and they have the same issues -its all about jobs- its all about the economy - and every state has felt this....that's the main issue that's on everybody's mind - and we share a lot of the same concerns."

Philo was a guest on 1110 KBND's Your Town on Monday. Newstalk 1110 KBND will be carrying the convention live each night starting at 5 p.m. Next week, KBND will also carry the Democratic National Convention.

A spokesman for the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality in Bend says we are once again have a fire season with large periods of unhealthy air.

DEQ spokesman Brian Mannion says on Sunday it was smoke from the "Waterfalls 2 Fire" near Mount Jefferson,and then Monday smoke from a large wildfire near Lakeview was the culprit behind the hazy skies. Mannion says the DEQ monitoring station in Bend has been registering a status of "unhealthy Air Quality for sensitive populations" and even an "Unhealthy for Everyone" reading. When the air is that bad health officials recommend that people stay inside and entirely avoid strenuous activities or exercise outside.

Mannion spoke to 1110 KBND news on Monday.

"ITS IMPORTANT FOR PEOPLE TO NOTE THAT SMOKE CONDITIONS CAN CHANGE RAPIDLY - SMOKE CAN ROLL INTO TOWN VERY QUICKLY- SMOKE CAN LEAVE TOWN VERY QUICKLY-SO PEOPLE NEED TO BE AWARE OF THEIR IMMEDIATE SURROUNDINGS -- OVERALL IF YOU'RE AFFECTED YOU NEED TO TAKE PRECAUTIONS - STAY INSIDE- CONTACT YOUR DOCTOR IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS."

Mannion says we are seeing a similar pattern to what we saw for air quality last fire season.

"SO FAR COMPARED TO LAST YEAR- WE ARE ABOUT ON PAR - BOTH ARE FAIRLY SMOKEY YEARS FOR CENTRAL OREGON- ITS A COMBINATION OF FIRES AND WINDS- SOMETIMES THERE ARE FIRES AND THEY CARRY SMOKE AWAY FROM POPULATION CENTERS- AND OTHER TIMES THE WINDS CAN CARRY THAT SMOKE RIGHT INTO TOWN- AND WE ARE HAVING A VERY ACTIVE FIRE SEASON AS WELL."

The air is measured once an hour at the Bend station. He notes that it is a local reading so the Air Quality at the DEQ station could be very different than in other areas throughout Central Oregon.

Facebook and Apple have help the data center industry grow in the Prineville area, but they have also helped the city's bottom line.

The head of Economic Development for Crook County, Jason Carr says "The overall improvement in frastructure, the creation of full time jos and the construction jobs have really propped up this community in a way that wouldn't have seen if it hadn't been for the data centers."

Carr says Prineville's city budget is actually in pretty good shape thanks to the increased revenues from these data centers.

The reaction to Lance Armstrong's announcement that he will not fight the drug charges threatening his legacy is quick.

Susan Bonacker with Sunnyside Sports says the cycling community has been buzzing with the announcement; and while Armstrong never admitted guilt, “I think he knows there's really no win there. If he were, perchance to be found innocent, no one would believe it. The only verdict that I think they will believe is a guilty verdict. I think he realizes it's a no win situation, so it's best just to move on."

Bonacker says the all sports have been hit with "doping" or performance enhancing drug allegations, but cycling seems to be especially hit hard.

She says although there is a dark cloud over Armstrong, it should not take away from what he has brought to cycling over his career, such as the greater interested in the sport because of Armstrong’s achievements.

Armstrong will be stripped of his seven Tour du France titles, and be banned from competitive cycling for life.

They lost 18 starters from last year's state championship football team; but this year's Mountain View Cougar squad doesn't lack any heart or enthusiasm for the fall season.

Head Football Coach Brian Crum says the momentum of the championship, plus the pride of alumni Ashton Eaton's Gold Medal win at the Olympics is a real incentive for the team.

Crum says the team will be lead by Quarterback Toby Webb, a 6-foot senior who has played with them since his freshman year. "He's played some JV ball for us the last couple of years, been the back up. But more importantly, he's been our stat team Quarterback the last 2 years and he's had to play against some pretty tough defenses in our own practices every day of the week, and I think that's prepared him for what he's going to see this year. He doesn't have a lot of varsity game experience, but he did win a game for us last year against Medford when Jacob Hollister was out with a shoulder injury. But he has a lot of experience, we have a lot of trust in what he's going to do for us."

Crum says the team has a couple of rituals before every game: they have a team meal, they read an inspirational quote from former UCLA coach Terry Donohue on dealing with adversity and they touch the cougar above the door in the locker room.

The University of Oregon Ducks are already making sports writers and coaches take notice.

The pre-season poll indicates the Ducks begin the season ranked at Number 5.

Duck radio announcer Jerry Allen says the excitement is building, and everyone was surprised, but very pleased with Chip Kelly's pick for quarterback: Marcus Mariota. "They got the pieces in place. And it starts with the quarterback. This is going to be a red-shirt freshman. Marcus Mariota got picked to lead this team. Bryan Bennett, he's good. He came in last year and took care of business, so it had to be someone better than Bryan Bennett, who I thought was really good. Apparently Marcus Mariota really is that good."

Allen says Coach Kelly has molded this team to be very strong in all aspects, but the defense will definitely be the star this year.

The Ducks will host the Arkansas State Red Wolves on Saturday, and KBND will bring you the game, beginning with the pregame beginning at 6 p-m.

The countdown to the first day of school has started, and for kids transitioning to a new school, it can be agony.

H.D. Weddel, Bend High Principal, says they have a "culture" at Bend High where upperclassmen are taught to nurture the "new" kids that look a little lost. “We call it part of the "Long Blue Line" at Bend High School and you're proud of the ones coming behind you because they're the next generation. So, in part, I think as teachers, administrators, staff members, we're looking for that. Our ears are up."

Weddel says the first day of school is for freshmen alone, so they can get a feel for the school. He says that it's also very important for parents to encourage their kids to get involved in activities and that helps kids feel more comfortable, that they "belong."

You can hear more about dealing with a students anxiety of entering a new school for the first time, as we feature a lengthy discussion on Tuesday’s “Take Five.”

A column of smoke towered over Mt. Jefferson Friday as the Waterfalls 2 Fire burned actively once again, in spite of the light winds. The easterly breeze caused smoke to pour over the Cascades and into the Santiam Valley, impacting much of northwest Oregon on Friday, even though the fire stayed mostly within the established lines.

“It was the perfect burnout operation,” said Operations Chief Ray Weiss, “and we didn’t light a single match.” Weiss said the area that burned was targeted for ignition in today’s scheduled burnout operations, so it helped firefighters to meet the overall strategy to contain the blaze.

Also on Friday, dozers, engines, and crews successfully corralled Thursday night’s escaped fire along the northeast edge near North Butte .Some spot fires remain, but have been kept from spreading by helicopter water drops.

Eight additional crews arrived Friday to help fight the fire. Five of the crews have traveled across the country from their home states of Georgia, Mississippi, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia. Another of the new crews, a Type One hand crew, is a unique group formed by smokejumpers from Redmond, Oregon who will be tasked with building line to secure the fire on the northwest side in the especially challenging ground near Harvey Lake and Lake Sarah. The addition of these crews has increased the number of personnel working on the Waterfalls 2 Fire to 720.

The Pacific Crest Trail and most of the Olallie Lake Recreation area are open, but PCT hikers complained of dense smoke and ash on Friday. PCT hikers are not allowed to camp between Jefferson Park and Monon Lake. Smoke descended on Olallie Lake during part of the day Friday, but skies were clearing by 6 p.m. A light haze is reported this morning, with visibility of three-to-ten miles. Horseshoe Lake and Breitenbush Lake remain closed, as does Forest Road 4220 from Monon Lake south and west to Forest Road 46. Trails to Gibson Lake, Horseshoe Lake, and Ruddy Hill also remain closed.

Sheriff Jim Hensley is holding townhalls talking with residents about why prisoners are being released early.

Sheriff Hensley says the forum are to inform the public about the situation.

"Does Crook County need a new jail? Absolutely! But I am not advocating that. This is not the time, we can't afford it. It's just like buying a new car. If you don't have the funds, you don't buy a new car, you make due with what we have.

Crook County's jail has 16 beds and the county rents 16 more beds from Jefferson County.

In 1999, Crook County residents narrowly voted down a bond issue to build a new jail.

More details have been released on the incident where Jerry Nichols, 64, of Bend allegedly assaulted ER staff at St. Charles and was allegedly assaulted by a Bend Police officer.

According to the Oregon State Police report, Bend Police Officer Steve Craig responded to the 911 call for help on August 12th, after ER staff reported Nichols out of control.

Nichols left the building and was sitting at a picnic table on hospital grounds with a security officer when he saw Officer Craig and advanced toward him with raised fists.

The altercation that ended when Nichols stopped breathing was captured on video.

The Deschutes County DA's Office will continue the investigation.

You can find the complete transcript of the OSP report below:

On August 12, 2012 at approximately 7:00 p.m., the Deschutes County 9-1-1 received numerous calls from employees within the Emergency Room (ER) at St. Charles Medical Center reporting a patient was out of control and physically assaulting the ER staff. The patient was later identified as Jerry J. Nichols, age 64, from Bend. NICHOLS had been receiving medical treatment and was noted as having breathing issues at the ER just prior to and during the time he assaulted ER staff. Nichols then exited the ER.

At some time after Nichols exited the ER he sat at a picnic table outside with a security officer. Within minutes, Bend Police Officer Steve Craig arrived at the ER entrance in response to the 911 call. Nichols left the table he was seated at, crossed into the parking area where Officer Craig was exiting his marked police vehicle and advanced toward the officer.

The officer initially attempted to verbally calm Nichols and asked him to sit back down to talk. Based on video footage, it appears Nichols continued advancing toward the officer and he raises his fists. Officer Craig retreated backwards but Nichols continued to advance toward him while punching at the officer. At some point, Officer Craig deployed his Taser to stop Nichols but the Taser was ineffective. Nichols continued to advance toward the officer. The officer then used an open hand strike and struck the left side of Nichols' head with the palm of his hand to stop Nichols' attempted assault. Nichols fell backward and downward landing in a seated position on the ground. Nichols then fought with Officer Craig and a medical staff member as they tried to place Nichols in custody to prevent further incidents. Nichols was restrained shortly thereafter.

At this time Nichols stopped breathing and lifesaving procedures were administered by medical personnel. Nichols was revived and admitted to St. Charles Medical Center where he was listed in critical condition for several days.

Nichols died at 4:34 p.m., on August 20, 2012 while at St. Charles Medical Center. An autopsy was conducted on August 21, 2012 by the Oregon State Medical Examiner's Office. The results of the autopsy are pending.

Officer Stephen Craig has twenty-six years of service as a police officer, of which thirteen years of service have been with the City of Bend.

Oregon State Police jointly worked with Bend Police Department on the investigation. The Deschutes County District Attorney's Office assisted with the investigation. Any further questions should be directed to the Deschutes County District Attorney's Office

The Bend Park and Rec Board members have been out in the community to talk about November ballot Measure - 9-86, asking for money to improve or expand some facilities.

Member Dallas Brown says most people he's been in contact with have been very supportive - once they know how the $29-million will be used. "There will be an economic boost to the type of projects having a river trail from Tumalo to Sunriver for instance, opens up a whole range of opportunities for marathons, for trail runs, for bike races, for various things like that. The safe passageway at Colorado Dam where we could develop a whitewater park over there. It would give us a lot of opportunity for events to do with kayaking."

Brown says Bend has developed an identity for being outdoor based and having the money to build on that reputation will bring more revenue into Bend.

He adds that in the future, the Board will hold more meetings and get- togethers at the various project locations.

The second highest grossing documentary of the year will be featured at the Regal Old Mill Cinema starting Friday.

"2016 - Obama’s America" produced by filmmaker Gerald Molen, is said to show how the struggle of Obama's past could redefine America over the next four years.

Mark Mosley - Chairman of the Deschutes County Republican Party says the movie is a screen play of a book written by Dinesh D'Souza, and is their opinion of what the future holds. "Well, we think it's an opportunity for people to look at maybe potentially what 2016 would look like if the President was reelected. What D'Souza and Mr. Molen tried to do is give a visual journey, in their opinion, on what's going on within the White House and what they feel the direction would be if President Obama is elected for another 4-year term."

Mosley says at 6:30 Friday, there will be a gathering at the Republican Election Headquarters on Northeast Third Street to discuss the film.

A spokesperson for the "Waterfalls 2 Fire" west of Warm Springs hopes that smoke from the large fire doesn't disrupt the popular airshow set for Madras this weekend.

Public Information Officer Lauren Maloney says smoke has been drifting into Madras, so it could affect the air show. She says a spokesperson from the forest service will talk to the airshow crowd about the nearby fire. The forest service also has some aircraft on display during the show.

As for other impacts - fire bosses say the fire is creeping towards some important areas. Maloney says there is a very outside chance that a subdivision with 75 homes could be threatened. The subdivision is about 10 miles from Warm Springs.

She spoke with 1110 KBND news Thursday morning.

"the only structures currently out ahead that could be threatened- peters pastures historic sites- the shitake lookout-bpa and pge powerlines- and a subdivision out to the northeast- that would be 3 days out of some very active fire behavior."

Again, Maloney says that's a very remote possibility. The fire is currently around 84 hundred acres and 7 percent contained. Traffic on highway 26 can be affected by the smoke and fire fighting rigs so drivers are asked to use extra caution in that area near Warm Springs.

The Airshow is scheduled for Friday and Saturday in Madras. Kids under 12 are free, Veterans are free, and everyone is 8 dollars a person.

It's almost back to school time, but some local families don't have the money to buy new clothes for their kids. And in some cases, students may decide to leave school rather than face the embarassment of not "fitting in."

The Assistance League of Bend hopes to keep students in school and concentrating on their school work rather than their wardrobe. The program is called "Operation School Bell."

In this economy, its a problem that members of the League see quite often.

Spokesperson Maggie Chmiel was a guest on 1110 KBND's Your Town Thursday morning, August 23rd. The entire interview is available on this website on a Podcast.

"the mom would come over and she'd say we never thought we'd be here - but my husband lost his job - and we just can't do it this year we just really really need help- and that's the heart warming part of it that we are helping people in the community - i htink its hard enough to start school as it is- and you don't want them to stand out for a negative appearance."

The Assistance League is one of the charities that is benefiting from the Ghost Tree Invitational, a celebrity golf fundraiser tournament in Sunriver this weekend.

Combined Communications hosts the event and gives the money raised to local non profit groups.

The Redmond City Council has three City Council positions and the Mayor's seat up for election this November.

Redmond City Recorder, Kelly Morse says there will be five candidates vying for three seats; and the Mayor, George Endicott is running unopposed.

She says all are active in city issues. "Ed Peterson has attended several city council meeting s lately. Ann Graham is on our Planning Commission, Camden King is a current City Councilor. Joe Centanni is currently on the City Council and Ginny McPherson, she hasn't been at any of the council meetings recently, but she is a member of our Budget Committee, as well as out downtown Urban Renewal Advisory Committee."

Morse says all of the candidates have until Tuesday, August 28th to submit petitions with verified signatures to ensure their name will be on the ballot.

Officials say every business in Bend is affected by tourism; and if this summer is any indication, there are a lot of very happy people.

Doug LaPlaca with Visit Bend says they are hoping to keep the momentum of a busy summer going in to the fall, or "shoulder season" for tourism, when tourism tends to drop off a bit.

"Visit Bend's strategy is to extend the summer tourism season through the month of September. So most of our group and event focus is concentrated on that September through December timeframe with September representing the peak. We’ll have a number of large scale events that we've concentrated to bring to the city in the month of September."

LaPlaca says the early information shows that bend started out very strong in juke with high Transient Room Tax (TRT) numbers and he expects the final tally to show that we've had the best summer since before the economic downturn.

He adds that September's events include several very high profile cycling events and the inaugural "Leadman Triathlon" which should draws in the tens of thousands to Bend.

A local skateboard group, PUSH, or Promoting Urban Skate Habitats, has agreed to work with the Bend Parks and Recreation District to develop of new skate park next year and help with more skateparks in the future.

At Tuesday night's Bend Park and Rec Board meeting, member Dallas Brown says the District is only dedicated to the one skatepark right now, at Ponderosa Park on Southeast 15th Street. "Well, the money's already been budgeted for the Ponderosa Park, and the future parks we'll have to include in the future budgets. There’s no money right now that's been allocated for any future skateparks besides the Ponderosa one. But part of the commitment from PUSH is that they'll supply some funds for future skatepark development as well. So it will be a public-private joint partnership, where they would be able to raise money. And they're looking at going after corporate sponsors and some various things to be able to contribute to some future development."

Brown says PUSH also wants to help develop many more skateparks in the city in the future.

The Central Oregon Drug Enforcement Team and Bend Police took about $13,000 worth of methamphetamine off the streets recently.

Last Thursday, police stopped a car on NE Olney Avenue driven by Jessica Smith of Bend, who was under investigation at the time by the CODE team.

When the car stopped, her passenger Brian Fee, 46, jumped out and ran away; but police were able to apprehend him a short time later. He was taken into custody on meth possession.

Further investigation leads detectives to a residence on N. Highway 97 where they seized more meth, drug paraphernalia, two guns, marijuana, psilocybin mushrooms and dug sales and distribution evidence.

James Babcock, 38, of Bend was arrested at the residence, and Smith and Fee were also arrested. All three are in the Deschutes County Jail on various drug charges.

August 28th is the deadline for all people interested in running for the Bend City Council to submit their officially completed and verified petitions.

Robyn Christie, Bend City Recorder says currently there are 11 candidates vying for four positions, which makes for a very full election slate. "It is pretty full. There are a lot of interesting political issues right now, which gets more people interested in local politics. The petition process does take a little bit of time. They need to file paperwork with my office; they need to gather 150 signatures and then have those verified by the County Clerk, and then have those back to my office by 5 p.m. on the 28th."

Christie says most of the candidates have been actively coming to City Council meetings, and have spoken on a variety of subjects during the "Public Comments" portion.

As of Tuesday afternoon; two new candidates have thrown their hats into the ring: Wade Fagan will challenge Victor Chudowsky for Position One and Sally Russell will challenge Kathie Eckman and Ron Boozell for Position Three.

Former Bend Planning Commissioner Sally Russell has thrown her hat into the ring to run for Bend City Council Position Number 3.

Currently, Kathie Eckman holds that seat and will run for reelection.

Russell says she's always been interested in city issues and she says now just seems to be the right time.

"I've always been interested in doing what I could to bring my talents to this city to hopefully, make it a better place. I just finished work on the Galveston Rebuttalization plan last spring. My girls are a little older and I was thinking that it was time to something with a little more substance."

Russell says while she's not ready to comment on the hot topics, like the Surface Water Improvement Project (SWIP), she's going to start preparing for any debates or community forums that may happen.

The Waterfalls 2 Fire about 20 miles west of Warm Springs has grown another 1000 plus acres and is now around 7300 acres. Firefighters say people who live in the area and drive through the fire area can probably expect a lot of smoke at times.

The fire has also forced closures for some campgrounds and trails near the fire.

Fire Spokesperson Doug Epperson says it's affecting many people and in different ways.

Epperson spoke to 1110 KBND news...

"impacts are a couple of different facets- for one-a lot of different traffic on the road-competing between tourists and tribe members and fire crews - we're having air quality issues - the ones that are more sensitive are already starting to have more signs and symptoms of having effects from the smoke."

Fire bosses say Sunday was explosive on the fire lines, that Monday was a relatively calm day and Tuesday they were anticipated some more action on the fire. They says winds from the Southwest were in the forecast. So that could mean smoky conditions for people in Warm Springs and added challenges for drivers on highway 26 at and near Warm Springs.

The fire acreage was updated Tuesday morning. It was sparked by a lightning strike on August 4th.

A Bend Parkway tree has been getting statewide attention after the fate of the dying tree was discussed extensively on The Lars Larson Show. The talk show airs daily Monday through Friday on 1110 KBND from noon to 3 p.m. Its a regional show that is also broadcast throughout Oregon.

In July, a listener wrote in to Lars Larson to say that he heard about the plan to water the tree on Sunday mornings, which would require a small crew and over time pay. He felt it was a waste of taxpayer money.

Oregon Department of Transportation managers had scheduled for the tree to be watered on Sunday mornings to reduce the impact to drivers. Traffic would be affected by a water truck that would be brought in to water the thirsty tree.

ODOT spokesperson Peter Murphy says they have now decided to save the overtime pay and water during the workweek.

Murphy was a guest on 1110 KBND's Your Town, Tuesday morning, August 21st.

"YEAH IT WAS GOING TO BE OVERTIME FOR 2 PEOPLE TO GO OUT THERE AND DO THE JOB-BUT WE'RE NOT GOING TO DO THAT NOW- AND THE CONSEQUENCE TO ALL THIS IS THAT WE ARE GOING TO INCONVENIENCE MORE PEOPLE - AND THERE WON'T BE ANY OVERTIME - AND THOSE ARE THE TRADES."

Murphy would not say whether or not complaints connected with the attention the tree received on The Lars Larson Show was a deciding factor in the change. He did say he personally did not field any complaint calls about the overtime pay. The overtime cost for the watering was estimated at around 300-350 dollars.

To listen to the entire interview with Peter Murphy you can click on the Podcast icon on Your Town on this website. Murphy is a monthly guest on 1110 KBND's Your Town local talk show. Calls to the show are always welcome at: 388-1110.

The Republicans will make their nomination of Mitt Romney official at their National convention in Tampa and Central Oregon's delegates are excited about the trip.

John Philo is an alternate delegate, "it brings together so many different people we are going to have some fabulous speakers there and that is part of the excitement to, to see all the big names and people that are part of the republican party, it is a once in lifetime experience as far as i am concerned"

The convention will feature speeches by republican stars Chris Christy and Marco Rubio, and will be broadcast live on k-b-n-d next week.

Oregon Republican chairman Alan Alley says that recent polling indicates that Oregon may be in play this election cycle.

Sunday afternoon five men were shooting at a substance called Tannerite, which explodes to let the shooter know they hit their target, and a spark from the explosion, started a fire which closed down Alfalfa Market Road.

At last report the fire is under control and the five men are being charged with the Class A misdemeanor of Reckless Burning and could face up to a year in jail.

Your credit score can cost or save you a lot of money, depending on what the score is.

If you'd like to get a handle on your credit you may want to attend a free workshop in Redmond on Wednesday.

Workshop spokesperson Yolanda Vanderpool says it's very important to be able to read your credit report, understand your score and get some advice on improving the number.

bite "It's very important- especially for someone who is wanting to go into the home buying process - and that's exactly what this workshop is about - first off- we teach them how to identify issues in it - how can they fix it - we actually have them bring their credit report."

She says people will be asked to bring their credit report to the workshop and then get specific help with the report. She says for people who don't know how to get their report, they will be assisted during the class.

Neighbor Impact is hosting the free workshop, called "Understanding and Managing Credit." Its in Redmond on First street, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m Wednesday.

Vanderpool was a guest on 1110 KBND's Your Town Monday morning. You can hear her entire interview on this website under podcast, starting Tuesday afternoon.

The Waterfalls 2 fire west of Warm Springs is now about six thousand acres, almost double what it was on Sunday, when it was around 2700 acres. The fire started back on August 4th by a lightning strike in a very remote and rugged area.

Public Information Officer Doug Epperson says initially the fire was a low priority and fire crews didn't get the air support they needed until Sunday.

Epperson spoke with 1110 KBND news Monday morning.

T

"OTHER ISSUES WERE HAVING ARE TERRAIN ISSUES- PART OF THE FIRE IS ABOUT 5 MILES EAST OF THE SUMMIT OF MT JEFFERSON SO ITS PRETTY TOUGH TERRAIN UP THERE- THE TRIBE HAD RELEASED MOUNTAIN GOATS UP THERE- SO IT KINDA LETS YOU KNOW WHAT KIND OF TERRAIN IT IS- MORE MOUNTAIN GOAT TERRAIN THAN FIRE-FIGHTER TERRAIN."

Epperson says fire crews also had to build roads and evacuation routes for fire equipment before they could even really begin attacking the fire. As of Monday, there were more than 500 crews battling the fire, which is burning about 22 miles west of Warm Springs. Fire strategists call both the terrain and growth potential "extreme".

During the next few days they will be fighting high tempertures in the area which are expected to be in the 90's coupled with very low humidity. At this point, there is no estimate of containment.

Epperson says some trails in the area are impacted. People in the region may also be affected by smoke from the fire.

So far this fire season we've seen huge forest and rangeland fires in the West that often need an aggressive attack from the air. But an aging air fleet has been dangerous and even fatal for some fire fighters.

Lisa Clark is with the Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch Center and with the B-L-M's Prineville Distrist.

She was a guest Monday morning on 1110 KBND's "Your Town" segment.

"ITS BEEN INTERESTING - AFTER THE TRAGEDIES OF 1994 WITH FIREFIGHTERS DYING IN 1994- WE'VE SEEN A BIG SHIFT IN SAFETY ON THE FIRE LINES- THAT HAS A CORRESPONDING SHIFT THAT NOW THE NUMBER ONE WAY TO DIE ON THE FIRE-LINE IS THROUGH an AIR-CRAFT ACCIDENT NOW- SO ITS OBVIOUSLY SOMETHING WE'RE VERY CONCERNED ABOUT."

Clark says they are getting more help from the air. On the recent Ice Cave Fire they were able to use several planes called "Super Scoopers" for short. She says in just 10 seconds he Canada Air 215's can scoop up about 1000 to 1400 gallons of water from a nearby body of water and then quickly douse the flames.

Clark says local fire bosses are still predicting an average season in Central Oregon - which is about 450 fires, burning a total of around 50,000 acres. The bulk of the fire season usually hits here during the next couple of months.

If you'd like to hear the entire interview with Lisa Clark you can listen to a podcast on this website starting Tuesday afternoon.

Until the end of September, additional police will be watching for motorists, bicyclists, pedestrians and others about safety on the roadway and sidewalks.

Jovi Anderson with the Bend Metropolitan Planning Organization says they received about a $10,000 grant from ODOT to educate people, as well an enforce laws regarding pedestrians, bikers and what "walking zones" are for. "Motorists failure to yield to pedestrians, awareness of all surroundings for all road users such as distracted driving. Wrong way riding or biking without any lights at night. So those kinds of things we've seen. Lots of crashes, that have resulted from those behaviors so we're trying to target those behaviors and reduce our injuries on bend roadways."

Anderson says they kicked off the outreach by placing decals in downtown Bend indicating the sidewalks are "walk zones" and bikes, skateboards and scooters should not be ridden there.

Additionally, Anderson says they have funds to pay overtime for police to enforce laws regarding motorists and pedestrians.

Airport Manager, Gary Judd says over $192,000 was granted to them from the "ConnectOregon iV" Program to improve the airport taxiway. "The old taxiway "A", which on the west side of the field was totally coming apart- a lot of patches in it. And so with this funding we're doing 2 things with it: one is we're totally rehabilitating the runway, it's all brand new surface, brand new sub-base on it, bringing it all up to FAA standards. We're also moving it approximately 9 feet to the west, which give us a little more clearance from out main runway for some of the larger aircraft, that helps meet FAA safety specifications."

Judd says they have already begun work on the taxiway, because they obtained matching funds. He believes the project should be done by the end of October.

The funds Bend Airport received is part of the Oregon Department of Transportation "ConnectOregon IV" program that distributed over $40-million to almost 65 projects throughout Oregon.

It’s called "Project Pillar" and it's the worst kept secret in Central Oregon: Apple has submitted applications for permits to build a data center in Prineville.

Steve Forrester, Prineville City Manager says they are very excited about the Apple project, as it bring another high profile business to the area. “What it means for the community is just tremendous. And this is bigger than just Prineville in that we have a lot of folks up there doing construction from the Central Oregon region, you know the tri-county region. But what I’m saying it's great for Prineville, we need the boost; it's a great opportunity for us to diversify our economy, but it's also good for Central Oregon and its good for the state."

Forrester says the opening of the Facebook facility has made a noticeable difference in downtown core of Prineville businesses; and with their proposed additions, things are looking good for the city.

Forrester says he believes that apple should begin construction within a few months.

A Bend man is in St. Charles bend, in critical condition at last report, after allegedly assaulting emergency room personnel and a Bend police officer.

9-1-1 received a call from the hospital on Sunday, August 12th, around 7 pm reporting that a patient was out of control and assaulting staff members.

A Bend police officer arrived a few moments later…just as the unruly patient was walking out of the

E-R. Bend PD says the patient “advanced toward the officer in an aggressive and challenging manner”.

The officer tried conversation with the patient to divert the attack, and then had to resort to a taser…but…even that did not deter the man. Capt Jim Porter says the officer finally used an “open hand strike to the man’s face that finally stopped the assault.

64-year-old Jerry J. Nichols was admitted to the hospital after the incident.

A joint investigation of the incident is underway by personnel from the District Attorney’s Office, Oregon State Police detectives, and Bend PD.

The Ice Cave Fire is holding at 120 acres south of Bend off of China Hat Road. 100 firefighters are fighting the blaze, which is mainly on wildland.

The Butte Fire in Douglas County…south of Bend is now at 100 acres and is now 8 % contained. It is burning on both the Deschutes National Forest and the Umpqua National Forest just north of the Mount Thielsen Wilderness and has closed approximately 12 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail. The fire in burning in steep terrain with dead and down timber and is challenging firefighting efforts due to a lack of safety zones and lookouts. 249 firefighters are on this fire.

The Oregon portion of the Holloway Fire is near the southeast corner of the state near the Nevada border. Firefighters are working in difficult terrain to strengthen fire lines, conduct mop up operations, and patrolling to make sure the fire stays within the containment lines.

A “Red Flag Warning” is in effect for all of the fire areas. In Central Oregon, isolated to scattered thunderstorms are possible through this afternoon and evening. Cloud cover is inhibiting heating over the area, but expect thunderstorms to develop behind the band of clouds later this afternoon.

Abundant lightning will be possible and very little rain is expected with the storms.

Two bend residents were walking in an area on the west side of Bend when a man allegedly shot at them, for no apparent reason.

Friday morning, around 1:45, a Bend Police Officer heard gunshots in the area of Newport Avenue and NW 13th Street and saw a vehicle leaving the area.

He chased the car for about two blocks when the driver, Stephen Mitchell, 32, of Bend left the moving car and ran. The car hit a fire hydrant.

Evidence at the scene indicated Mitchell did shoot in at the pedestrians with a shotgun and one was struck in the neck by debris. The victims, Christian Liliedahl-Allen, 27 and Robert Schoepfle, 25, did not know the suspect.

A search with a K-9 was done, but Mitchell was not found.

Further investigation reveals that Mitchell has recently made statements about shooting random people.

Around 5 p.m. Mitchell waived down a motorist near Dillon Falls and said he wanted to turned himself in.

The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Department, Oregon State Police and Bend Police located Mitchell and took him into custody without incident.

He is lodged in the Deschutes County Jail, charged with attempted murder, Unlawful Use of a Weapon and Menacing.

Central Oregon - Fire danger in Central Oregon has prompted fire officials to restrict certain activities on lands managed by the Prineville District Bureau of Land Management, the Ochoco National Forest and the Crooked River National Grassland. Effective 12:01 a.m. August 21 (Tuesday), open fires, including charcoal fires, will be prohibited, except in the following designated campgrounds:

“More than 15,000 firefighting personnel are already engaged suppressing fires around the country right now,” said Doug Johnson, Acting Fire Staff for Central Oregon Fire Management Service (the combined Forest Service and BLM fire organization in Central Oregon). “While we have resources to respond to new fires here in Central Oregon, we cannot count on other regions providing additional assistance; and with lightning expected, we need to do everything we can to limit human caused wildfires.”

In addition to campfire restrictions, smoking is restricted to an enclosed vehicle or building, in boats on lakes and rivers, or while stopped in an area at least three feet in diameter that is clear of all flammable material.

Portable cooking stoves or lanterns using liquefied or bottled fuel may be used in all areas.

Every year lightning-caused fires place a heavy demand on our firefighting resources, and put our wildlands, our firefighters, and our communities at risk. Fire officials want to remind people that they play a role in keeping our firefighters and our public safe. Fires caused through carelessness or negligence only increase the threat to life and livelihood, and place an even greater burden on already busy firefighters. In an active fire season, we need our firefighters available and ready to respond. Every fire that’s prevented helps firefighters remain available, rested, and safe.

About the BLM: The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land – the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2011, recreational and other activities on BLM-managed land contributed more than $130 billion to the U.S. economy and supported more than 600,000 American jobs. The Bureau is also one of a handful of agencies that collects more revenue than it spends. In FY 2012, nearly $5.7 billion will be generated on lands managed by the BLM, which operates on a $1.1 billion budget. The BLM's multiple-use mission is to sustain the health and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The Bureau accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other resources on public lands.

The mission of the USDA Forest Service is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the Nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations. The Agency manages 193 million acres of public land, provides assistance to State and private landowners, and maintains the largest forestry research organization in the world. The USDA is an equal opportunity employer.

State Representative Jason Conger of Bend is holding a major grassroots event Saturday.

Conger says there are over 100 volunteers that have stepped up to help him canvass bend neighborhoods to get his message out, and this one is turning out to be huge. "This is not our first walk. We’ve been out going door to door pretty much every weekend since April. But this will be, we think, our biggest walk. In terms of just the number of people who are lending their hand in the effort. So we're very excited about it. We think this may very well be one of the biggest volunteer efforts in any Central Oregon legislative race ever."

Conger says some volunteers for Tim Knopp will also help out and maybe a few other candidates.

The group is meeting at Jewell Elementary School at 10:30 Saturday morning. Lunch will be provided.

Jack Holt, owner of Murray and Holt Motors is putting the finishing touches on a sale of their property at the corner of Third and Franklin.

Holt says someone just made a "cold-call" and made them a deal that they couldn't refuse, because so many businesses would benefit from the sale.

"It has a lot of appeal to us, and I think it has a lot of appeal to Thirrd St. and kind of upgrades the area right now. Across the street, the little stone building is being upgraded to an audiology place and I think that this is the kind of thing that may help the whole neighborhood. I know that down the street, at the Chevrolet Cadillac dealership there's a lot of improvement going on there."

Holt says they will not be moving anywhere far; they will move their lot to front on Second and Emerson Street, while their main building will still be at Franklin and Second.

He says they have been at this present location since 1957 as a car lot and now the corner will change into a pharmacy and possibly other small businesses.

The fast burning Barry Point Fire, burning 22 miles southwest of Lakeview has burned a total of 79,000 acres; over 8500 of those acres are on private land.

Rod Nichols with the Oregon Department of Forestry says that fire and all the others were caused by lightning strikes; but with the hot-dry conditions, he issues a warning to recreators: "Firefighting resources are stretched really thin across the entire west, including Oregon. And we just ask people who are planning to out in the forest for recreation to be especially careful with fire, because we don't want to add on top of all these other fires some human caused fires that would further push the firefighters and make it harder to get these fires out."

Nichols adds that smoking materials should be contained to inside building or cars and to use extra care when extinguishing them.

The Waterfall 2 Fire on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation is currently uncontained; and the Holloway Fire has burned a total of over 536,000 acres and about half of those are in Oregon.

Washington, D.C. – With the effect on gas prices of last week’s fire at the Chevron Oil refinery in California already being felt by Oregonians at the pump, U. S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) sent a pair of letters to the Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission and the Administrator of the Energy Information Administration asking them to increase vigilance “to ensure that oil companies are not taking unfair advantage of the situation to jack up prices.”

A fire at Chevron’s Richmond, Calif. oil refinery – the third largest in the state -- has knocked out some of the refining capacity West Coast, causing prices in Oregon to spike by more than 20 cents per gallon in the last week alone. The extent of the damage at the refinery is still unknown; however, when a fire at a similarly-sized plant in Washington State disrupted refining capacity earlier this year, Oregonians saw an increase of more than 70 cents per gallon.

“In these difficult economic times,” Wyden wrote in the letter to the FTC, “retail consumers and businesses are already struggling with high fuel costs. I respectfully request that your agency work with the EIA and the appropriate state agencies to monitor the West Coast petroleum markets and ensure that consumers are protected during this situation.”

The Chevron refinery and the BP Cherry Point/Puget Sound refineries both have the capacity to refine 240,000 and 230,000 barrels of oil per day respectively. While Oregonians receive most of their gasoline from refineries in Washington, some receive gasoline from California refineries and the decrease in supply has the capability of affecting gas prices up and down the entire West Coast. In order to protect consumers, Wyden’s letter calls on the two agencies to keep a close eye on any potential price gouging the situation may create.

In a unanimous vote, the city council agreed to open their new legislation regarding false alarms.

The major issues are fines on the first false alarm offense and language in the bill which requires alarms t be registered with the local police.

Mayor Jeff Eager says everyone is working to the same goal.

"I think there are some things that we can easily agree on and one of them is that we have a problem with false alarms. Estimating over 2,000 false alarms in a year in the city of Bend. What we need to do is come up with a way to encourage people to take better care of their alarms."

The new bill will not fine people for their first offense and will clarify that it is business, which are required to register their systems with police, not citizens.

The Central Oregon Emergency Nurses Association has announce that nurses will volunteer at future races to set up emergency first aid station which will have life saving equipment, such as difibulators.

This is a response the death of Bill Tufts who died of a heart attack durring the Dirty Half Marathon.

The St. Charles Foundation donated money for equipment and the nurses will volunteer their time.

In recent months, several houses and a business have been struck by lightning, and weather forecasters predict this weekend will be loaded with lightning.

Katie Lighthall with Project Wildfire says lightning in unpredictable, so you have to prepare for possible fire even if you live in the city. "We get about, on average, about 450 fires each year. And for the most part, we pick those up, but what's interesting is about half of them are lightning caused and half of them are human caused. And the one thing we do know is how fire behaved. And the one thing that we can change is how fire behaves. And we do that by reducing vegetation; making sure that we've cleaned up around out home. And making sure that we've broken up the continuity between the brush or the brush and your deck, that kind of thing."

Lighthall says even cleaning out your gutters from pine needles can do a lot to keep fire from affecting you.

A Bend woman who survived a crash from texting while driving wants to send a message to everyone about the danger of what she did.

Vicki O'Halleran, 21, says she was going about 40 miles an hour and ran off the road; hitting a fence and tree and other objects while texting. Luckily, she was not seriously hurt.

She also loves to run, and this was how she wanted to make a statement: by running from Portland to Klamath Falls spreading the message about the dangers of texting while driving. "Not everybody is going to be as lucky as I was. And so I kind of feel that it is my responsibility to kind of give back for my luck that I had. And help others not make the same mistake that I did."

O'Halloran joins the “TXT L8R” movement started by our news partner, News Channel 21, and vows to gather donations to the campaign.

O'Halloran will be running through Bend this Friday; she plans to have "run the state" by August 31st.

Businessman Mike Roberts has thrown his hat into the race for Position 4 on the Bend City Council, currently held by Jim Clinton.

Roberts, the owner of Northwest Code Consulting, says he has lots of experience in the public sector and sees what Bend needs to thrive in this economic climate. "So the biggest thing we need to do it find jobs. Jobs from top to bottom. I'm talking entry level jobs. High school aged kids or college kids that are here, working the summer. They need work as well. And all the way into family jobs. We've lost a lot of business in the last 2-3 years."

Roberts says he'll also put an emphasis on listening, because residents have a lot of concerns and good ideas.

Roberts is married and has one son, a senior at Mountain View High School, and has lived in bend since 1994.

His business, Northwest Code Consulting, helps businesses with deciphering building and municipal codes to help them expand or resolve issues with jurisdictions.

President John Marick says it's so much more than a job fair; it's also an open house for the public to see what consumer cellular is all about.

But, he says they have plans to hire quick and big. "We're hoping to have a group of about 40-50 people that will start the first week of September. So we're going to jump in with a good group right away and then we will be hiring about 25 a month through the rest of the year."

Marick says they are looking for people who are friendly, like talking to people, and some experience in customer relations would be a plus.

The Job Fair is Thursday from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at their building at 2999 SW 6th Street in Redmond.

CRESCENT, OR – Two wildfires broke out on the Diamond Lake Ranger District of the Umpqua National Forest late Tuesday afternoon, August 14, 2012, near Windigo Butte. The fires are burning in timber approximately 6 miles northeast of Lemolo Lake. Firefighting resources were quick to respond to the smoke reports.

The Butte Fire, located north of the Mount Thielsen Wilderness, quickly grew to 75 acres, spotting over the Pacific Crest Trail on to the Deschutes National Forest. Eight smoke jumpers deployed to begin suppression efforts.

The active fire behavior and proximity to several popular hiking trails has prompted Forest officials to close the following roads and trails: Pacific Crest Trail 2000 is closed at intersection of Trail 2000 and 3641 (Willamette National Forest) southeast to intersection of Trail 2000 and 1466 (Umpqua National Forest). Forest Service Road 60 from junction of Road 60 and 6000-700 (Umpqua National Forest) to junction of FS Road 60 and 6020 (Deschutes National Forest). Forest Service Trail 1412 is closed at intersection of Trail 1412 and Pacific Crest Trail southwest to junction of Trail 1412 and 1445 (Umpqua National Forest). Forest Service Trail 1455 is closed from FS Road 60 to junction of Trail 1494 (Umpqua National Forest). Forest Service Trail 2845 is closed from junction of Trail 3845 and 3846 southwest to junction of FS Road 60

A Type 2 Incident Management Team will assume command of the two fires Thursday morning, August 16.

A Type 3 Incident Management Team is currently in charge of the fires.

The Bend Fired Department had to save a man on an intertube stuck at the Colorado Street Spill Way.

The man had rented the intertube from a local business and was warned about the spill way and how strong currents can be in the Deschutes, but he says that the current caught him off guard pinning him and the intertube in the spillway.

Rescuers were able to get him out of the water with a ladder and no injuries are reported.

The Central Oregon Youth Conservation Crew hires young people to do manual labor in the forests.

This year 103 youth worked for 8 weeks throughout the area, putting in over 35,000 hours of labor pulling weeds, maintaining trails and reducing hazardous fuels with the C.O.Y.C.C.

There will be an Awards Picnic this Thursday at Shevlin Park for them.

Tory Kurtz, the Public Affairs Officer of the Ochoco National Forrest, says this is a chance for to thank them for their efforts, “it is a b-b-q and then also an opportunity for not only Forest Service employees to meet the youth crews, but also the youth crews to meet Forest Service employees and present a little bit about what their summer meant working on the Forest throughout the year”

Crews have contributed to projects in the Deschutes and Ochoco National Forests as well as the Crooked River National Grassland and Smith Rock State Park.

This Thursday kicks off the "Bend Brewfest" at the Les Schwab Amphitheater.

This annual celebration will feature 1-hundred-and-25 beers from 51 local brewers as well as wines from toasted head winery.

Marney Smith, an event organizer for the Brewfest, says the local brewing industry is vital to Central Oregon, "the craft beer industry in Central Oregon has had a huge economic impact on us and they provide a massive amount of jobs and we also have a culture that adores really great beer."

Proceeds from the event will benefit the Boys and Girls Club of Central Oregon and Neighbor Impact.

Entrance to the event is free, but to try the beer, you need to buy a souvenir mug for $10, which includes enough tokens to buy one pint or four beer samples.

The event will start on Thursday at 3:00 and will wrap up on Saturday at 11:00 in the evening.

The Bend City Council is shaping up to be a very busy race this November. Four Bend City Council Positions are up for grabs in November, and right now, there is plenty of interest. Some candidates are very familiar to the political scene and others are dipping their toes in for the first time.

In Position 1 currently held by Tom Greene, who is vying for a Deschutes County Commissioner post, Victor Chudowsky is the only candidate.

Position 2, currently held by Mayor Jeff Eager, Charles Baer, Edward McCoy, Edward “Ed” Barbeau and Doug Knight are all vying for the seat.

Position 3 currently held by Kathie Eckman, has Eckman back in the race with Ron Boozell challenging.

Position 4, which is Jim Clinton's seat; sees Clinton hoping to be re-elected and Mike Roberts challenging him.

Justin Finestone with the City says anyone else interested in running for a city council seat has until August 28th to file completed petitions.

Boardings at the Redmond Airport are up about 5% from July of 2011 to July of this year.

Airport Manager Kim Dickey says the improving statistics means they could get some grant money to help get more flights into Redmond from other locations. "Most of the flights operating out of here have been very, very full. Which is great. And I think we have a very strong case to get either an additional flight or even possibly new service. We have applied for a grant, and we hope to hear something maybe by the end of the month. If we are successful in obtaining that grant, what that would for is, is help us advertise to either an existing carrier or potentially a new carrier to add a new service or route."

Dickey says the demands for routes include going to Southern California, Las Vegas and Phoenix.

She also says since the cost of jet fuel is so high, that is one hindrance for carriers to add routes.

About 1800 acres have burned so far in the Waterfall Fire on the Warm Springs Reservation.

Warm Springs Fire Management Officer Clay Penhollow says crews have done some "back burning" to prevent the fire from expanding to much more to the east.

He says this weekend is going to be challenging for them, because the weather forecast is for trouble. "The predictions were for lightning storms Friday, Saturday, Sunday. So we're kind of getting ready for that. We've called in a management team to take care of the fire so we can relieve our folks back to initial attack, to get ready for those lightning storms."

Penhollow says should the fire switch directions and threaten recreation areas, campers will be evacuated from the Mt. Hood area, but right now, it's burning in good timber areas.

Bend is rapidly becoming known as "Beer City USA" because of the many breweries that have opened up.

The City Club of Bend will hold a forum at their monthly meeting about the impact all the breweries have on our area.

Stephanie Curtis with City Club says they will feature the brew leaders in the area. "We have Gary Fish, as we know is the President and Founder of Deschutes Brewery. He will be discussing the breweries commitment to sustainability, community support and innovation. We have Garrett Wales, who is the Central Oregon Brewers President and 10 Barrel Brewing partner. And he'll be sharing what Central Oregon's role in the craft brewing industry is, and the issues facing our local breweries. He'll also be sharing what's hot and what's not in the brewing industry as well."

Curtis says there will be other panelists from the City of Bend to talk about the impact the breweries have on the environment and economy.

Chuck Baumann with the Oregon Lottery says the $320-million is the third highest jackpot of all time.

He says should you be the lucky one, the first thing you should do is: “Get some advice from a financial planner or someone who has an idea of what to do with a huge sum of money like that, because $320-million is enough to alter your lifestyle a little bit. And it's good to have a plan in place and usually that helps the winner sleep a little bit when they are able to talk to somebody who is a little bit smarter than they are and they can advise them how they can take the prize."

Baumann says that the Oregon Megabucks is now up to $3.8 million and the Mega Millions is up to $36-million.

He says the deadline for buying your ticket is 7 p-m the day of the drawing. The Powerball drawing is Wednesday.

Right now, the collection is being housed at the Tumalo Fire Department, but Bend Fire spokesperson Cindy Kettering says they want to find a new and better permanent home for the artifacts. "What we're trying to do is, we're looking at the history of the Bend Fire Department and there's quite a bit of it. We go back 107 years. So we have artifacts, photographs, all sorts of items, not only that are still in the possession of the fire department, but scattered far and wide. And we want to preserve those items. And the items that are scattered, we want to bring home."

Kettering says the biggest item they want back is the very first fire engine, a 1918 American Lafrance, that is currently owned by a Washington fire station.

She says they are having a garage sale this Friday and Saturday to raise money to purchase an old fire engine to trade with Washington to get the old engine back.

The garage sale will be at the Bend Fire Training Center on Jamison Street.

There are over 76,000 Oregonians suffering with Alzheimer’s and dementia; and that number is expect to rise by 20% in just a few years.

Todd Sensenbach with Home Instead Senior Care will be conducting a one day free workshop geared to caregivers and families with loves ones suffering from the disease.

He says as our healthcare continues to help people to live longer, there will be more instances surfacing.

"Really there isn't any kind of cure. So what we're trying to do is we're trying to help family caregivers understand the disease, and then understand how to help their loved one have the fullest possible life and how to handle any challenging behaviors that they might be experiencing. And how to keep them as healthy and as active as possible."

Sensenbach says the workshop will be at the Partners in Care facility in Bend this Friday from 8-30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. It's free, but you must have a reservation to attend. Call Pertners in Care to reserve your spot. (541-382-5882)

The London Olympics may be over; but all of Bend is still basking in the glow of our own Ashton Eaton taking the gold medal in the decathlon.

A huge crowd gathered at the Tower Theatre last Thursday to watch and cheer Ashton as he completed the final event of the decathlon.

A raucous cheer filled the theatre when it was made official that Ashton had won.

Mountain View Athletic Director and Eaton's track coach, Dave Hood describes what those final seconds were like. "He didn't break the Olympic record, he was just short of it by about 30 points. But you know that 1500 he was just trying to hang on and survive, and not fall flat so he could save the gold medal. But he is a young man, so he's got a lot of time to reset his own world record. there's no doubt we'll see him in Rio."

Hood says they are working on plans to get Eaton back in Bend to celebrate with the community; but nothing is definite yet. 1110 KBND will keep you informed when Ashton Eaton is coming home.

Oregon Congressman Greg Walden says he's "furious" over how the Federal Emergency Management Agency is treating Deschutes County in a dispute over how fire prevention dollars were applied.

For several years the county was given grants to help rural landowners clear dangerous shrubs, weeds and other debris from their property.

Instead of paying for contractors to come to each property - the county created drop off sites and were able to stretch the money so it covered ten times the amount of acreage.

At one point FEMA had agreed to allow the county its creative use of the funds without asking for a partial refund or jeopardizing future fire prevention grant money.

But Walden says talks seem to be stalled again. Walden was in Bend on Friday and stopped by our 1110 KBND studios. hey may may be back to the that

"I CALLED THE HEAD OF FEMA- WE WORKED THROUGH IT WE HAD IT ALL THE WAY DONE AND ONE PART OF THE AGENCY SEEM TO UNDERSTAND AND GET A LITTLE BIT OF COMMON SENSE- and now there's another part of the agency that doesn't get it and now we have to start all over again -I'M FURIOUS - JUST FURIOUS. II MAKES NO SENSE IN THESE TIMES WHEN THE GOVERNMENT IS BROKE. WE SHOULDN'T HAVE bureaucrats sitting in their comfortable offices second guessing when someones done a good job on the ground!"

FEMA says the county had not done enough to prove the collection spots wouldn't hurt the environment. A 2010 grant for Deschutes, Crook and Klamath Counties is for 3 million dollars in clearing work and commissioner Tammy Baney says she doesn't know if they should accept the money until this issue is resolved.

The Deschutes County Sheriff's Office says it appears a 54-year-old California man reported missing by his wife died of natural causes. William Jeffery was reported missing on August 9th. His wife last saw him when she dropped him off at Elk Lake to go hiking along the Pacific Crest Trail.

Deputies and SAR team members found him dead at his campsite near Charlton Lake. He was an experienced hike and was well equipped for the hike.

A new program is underway that allows hunters access to more land. Two private landowners---and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODF&W) have agreed to allow public hunting on over 15,000 acres of public and private land during hunting season for pronghorn, elk, deer, and cougar.

The Aspen Valley Ranch is mostly on private land near Post, Oregon and offers more than 8-thousand acres of hunting area. The Dixie Meadows hunting area is about 7-thousand acres on public land in the Ochoco Forest northeast of Prineville.

In return for the use of the private land, the ODF&W, will help the owners clear their land of overgrown juniper trees, and various invasive plants, and will develop some water sources.

Separate restrictions apply to each area and you must have reservations in advance. Contact Meg Eden with the ODF&W at 541-460-2266

Rep. Greg Walden made the following statement in reaction to Governor Mitt Romney’s selection of Rep. Paul Ryan as his Vice Presidential choice:

"Paul Ryan is bright, capable, and competent. Governor Romney has chosen a good man who has put forth bold solutions to America's biggest problems. He brings a strong and clear voice to the campaign and will provide solid leadership for the country."

Rep. Walden is finishing a 4-day swing through southern, central, and eastern Oregon covering 1,744 miles in 7 counties with at least 12 meetings and events, which began Wednesday with a town hall in Lakeview, his 24th in the district this year. He’s in Grants Pass this morning for a tribute to community leader Brady Adams.

So what happens when the government becomes your doctor? That is the question highlighted by the documentary "Sick and Sicker". The Redmond Patriots will show the documentary as part of a focus in August on "Obamacare" and potential problems with the Affordable Care Act.

Redmond Patriots spokesman, Bob Perry, was a guest on 1110 KBND's Your Town on August 6th.

"I'VE WATCHED THIS DOCUMENTARY TWICE- EVERYTIME I WATCH IT - IT JUST GETS SCARIER - BUT I DO SEE HOW THEY ARE LINKING THIS WITH THE FUTURE OF OBAMA-CARE- CAUSE THE FUTURE IS A SINGLE-PAYER SYSTEM - THAT'S THEIR WHOLE GOAL OF THE THING."

Perry says the documentary is about Canada's health care system and it highlights the problems of rationing and extremely long waits for health care.

The Redmond Patriots meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. at the Highland Baptist Church in Redmond, on Monday, August 13th..

They continue the same theme critical of nationalized healthcare on Monday, August 27th. Dr. Frank Rosenbloom of Portland is the featured speaker. He is the Oregon Director of "docs4patientcare" and Perry says he's a recognized authority on the subject of government controlled health care. That meeting also starts at 6:30 at Highland Baptist Church, Redmond.

The meetings are free and open to the public and Perry says the Redmond Patriot members welcome differing viewpoints and encourage people to come out to express their opinions.

If you'd like to hear Mr. Perry's entire interview you can listen to a podcast on this website. Just click on the "Your Town" icon.

The Tower Theatre was packed with people there to cheer on Ashton Eaton as he won the gold medal for the Olympic Decathlon.

When he crossed the finish line of the final event, the 1500 meter run, there was a hush while times and points were tabulated to verify that Ashton had indeed captured the gold; and then a standing "O" and wild cheers erupted. He can now claim to be the "World's Best Athlete."

Dave Hood, Mountain View Athletic Director and Track Coach says the support of the community is overwhelming, and they are planning a celebration with Ashton soon. "Thanks the community for getting behind the world's greatest athlete. Unbelievable. And we want to bring him home to Central Oregon and celebrate the gold medal with him, here, hopefully here in the fall."

Hood says Ashton was destined for greatness: “He's had a long history here. He was a freshman in 2003 [at Mountain View High School], graduated in 2006. And we hooked him up with the University of Oregon; they loved him and the rest is history. It’s just faster than we thought would be happening."

Eaton won three events and placed high in the others. Fellow American athlete, Trey Hardee took the silver medal. It's the first time since 1956 that the U.S. went gold and silver in the decathlon.

Bring your bucket to Newport Avenue Market this Saturday and get some free compost. The Market, along with Deschutes Recycling is hosting the free giveaway for the second time.

Spokesperson Allyn Jeans says the Market began composting all the produce, food and floral scraps that they couldn't sell and have found their trash has been reduced by about 60%.

She says the giveaway is to help people learn more about composting. "I think the big thing was just seeing the change in our habits and really cutting down on waste. And seeing a product come full circle, allowing customers to see, and even employees see that process."

Jeans says the event begins at 10 a.m. Saturday and ends when all the compost is gone. You must bring your own 5 gallon bucket for the compost.

BOLI helped shield complaining employees while the investigation was ongoing, and now a $100,000 claim fund is set up to pay those former employees, because Avakian says Klein will not be able to satisfy all the debts and he wants t make sure the employees are compensated. .

Steve Klein died of a heart attack last August and Typhoon shuttered its restaurants in February.

Cornutt says these gunmen often feel alone and are not part of a group. "They feel like a cork in a sea. The term tossed around is anomic, which means without any rules , no guidance. And in order to get some reocgnition, they turn to thse atrocious kinds of acts."

The FBI just revealed that the army veteran and white supremacist who killed six people at a Milwaukee temple on Sunday died from a self inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

The gunman played in several white supremacist rock bands and was a member of the skinhead organization, the Hammerskins.

The Central Oregon Community College forum is being run by students of Judy Stiegler's local government class.

The forum between democratic incumbent Alan Unger and republican challengr Tom Greene is open to the public and will be held Thursday at Hitchcock auditorium in Pioneer Hall on the COCC campus. It starts at 1 p.m. and goes until 2 p.m.

Bend’s own Ashton Eaton is currently in first place for the men's decathlon at the London Olympics.

Wednesday's events included the 400 meter run, shot put, long jump and 100 meter run. He has more than 200 points from his nearest competitor, fellow American Trey Hardee.

Ashton's coach, Tate Metcalf is also in London and spoke with our news partner, News Channel 21 about his latest conversation with Ashton: "We always say “Bring it and leave it on the track!’ That I love him and then he immediately responded ‘I love you too.’ And he goes 'We're going to show the world something big’ and I truly believe that."

Eaton's final event for the decathlon are Thursday; beginning with the javelin throw at 10:30 our time. The last event, the 1500 meter race is at 1:20 p.m. You can watch Eaton's progress live at the Tower Theatre Thursday; doors open at 9:30 a.m.

One of the most popular speakers to visit Bend will be back in Bend this Friday. Republican Oregon Senate candidate Tim Knopp explains: "Karl Rove, the Deputy Chief of Staff under President George W. Bush is going to be in town for two events. And they're both fundraising events. And we're going to have a good crowd out for both of them and looking forward to hearing what he has to say about the presidential elections."

Knopp says its as fundraiser for the Oregon Reagan PAC.

There is a reception at the Oxford Hotel at 4:30 on Friday and then there is a private dinner later in the evening. Knopp says there are a few tickets left for the reception.

The Deschutes Democrats, with Oregon Senate Candidate Geri Hauser and other prominent Democrats say they chose the Bethlehem Inn to make a statement about their dedication to the homeless and hungry and also to be a contrast to the Republican's plans for a big, expensive fundraising event happening this weekend.

Hauser says she's encouraged by the support she's gotten from the community: "I was really surprised to see some recent polling that showed me within striking distance of Tim Knopp, even though he's spent up to $200,000 in the primary, and we're just getting our name out in the community."

Hauser and the Deschutes Democrats will be at the Bethlehem Inn at 4:30 Friday serving the meals, and the event is open to everyone.

The Oregon Reagan PAC is hosting Karl Rove at public and private fundraisers on Saturday.

An agent with Compass Commercial Real Estate Services in Bend says expansion plans for OSU Cascades will most likely transform Bend's westside Howard Friedman was a guest on 1110 KBND's Your Town on Monday.

He says the school will be needing several new large buildings for classes and dormatories for students. He also says investors may want to consider buying a small rental home in the area, especaily parents of future OSU Cascades students.

Excerp from your town segment: "also a lot of the rentals on the westside are a good investment now for people who want to hold on or for parents who have a student coming in for 4 years - and they might be able to pick up a little house that they could live in- so there are a lot of good things on the horizon with osu-cascades expanding - in terms of employment- a lot of those folks will be coming into to our local industry"

Last week, state officials gave OSU Cascades the green light to expand to a four year university. Friedman has been with Compass Commercial Real Estate for about 13 years. Before that, he operated a couple of Bend businesses.

If you'd like to hear the entire interview with Friedman its available on our website under Podcasts for Your Town.

Deschutes County Commissioner Tammy Baney says she's not sure the county should accept three million dollars in grants from the Federal Government. The money helps property owners clear the land of fire fuel. But the Federal Emergency Management Agency doesn't like that the county found a way to clear each acre for $100 rather than $1000 per acre as specified in the paperwork.

Baney believes that the county did the right thing by cutting costs through "sweat equity" and expanding the scope of the land covered ten fold.

She believes that FEMA is missing the main point of this fire prevention grant money:

"lets remember the important pieces - we are trying to protect our community - and a perfect example is the other evening we had 33 hundred lighting strikes - one of those strikes landed in the aspen lakes area - in that area we had treated for 50 thousand dollars - we had treated 500 acres- it landed - it burnt and it was out within a half hour- that's what we want to have happen- instead of it lands, it burns and it wipes out an entire community- and it could've been aspen lakes." -

FEMA even sent the county a bill for money the federal officials believe Deschutes County needs to pay them back. The bill was for earlier grants in 2007,and 2008. As for the 2010 grant money, Baney says it would be for 3 million dollars and woulld be applied to land in Deschutes, Crook and Klamath Counties. She says they probably won't accept that money until the issue is cleared up. Baney and others traveled to Washington D.C. earlier to meet with FEMA leaders. She says another trip to Washington is possible.

Bend Habitat for Humanity will begin work on their hundredth home in central Oregon this Friday.

However, one local family is moving into their new Habitat for Humanity home today.

Dorinda Vetterick and has been working for the past two years, volunteering for Habitat, and attending classes on home ownership and credit.

Robin Cooper, Community Outreach Manager for Bend Habitat for Humanity explains, "when a family enters our program they are required to attend home ownership and budgeting classes every single month, so our families are learning how to manage their money and what it means to be a home owner"

In addition to attending classes, habitat for humanity also finances the home at a zero percent interest rate and residents are expected to put in "sweat equity" by volunteering for habitat, building other people's houses, as well as their own.

Single parents families are required to put in 400 hours, and two parent families are expected to put in 600 as a down payment on the house.

Matt Cyrus is a property owner and fire fighter in Cloverdale, Oregon and he may have saved his own and other people's property through fuel reduction on his property.

A small brush fire started on his property and because there were no ladder fuels, which could have lead to another wildfire it was able to be easily extinguished before causing any damage.

John Thomas deputy fire chief of the Cloverdale fire department says there are some simple steps you can take to keep yourself safe as well, "we would like to see you clear the area around your home, not to a moonscape, but to a low fuels within the first 30 feet and then reduce the ladder fuels within 100 feet"

Thomas says that sagebrush is the most common ladder fuel in Central Oregon and that certain shrubs next to the house surrounded by much are especially vulnerable.

You can check with your local fire department for a list of fire resistant plants for landscaping.

Property owners can apply for grants from F.E.M.A. through their Pre-disaster Mitigation Grant Program for fuel reduction and fire mitigation for larger plots of land.

David Haffey, the Redmond jewelry store owner says the two men who robbed them "cased" the store the week before and he had a bad feeling about them.

In fact, he said he remarked to his wife that they were trouble.

When they reappeared, this time to rob him, everything happened so fast, but he instinctively knew what to do.

"You know it all worked well that way. I had a customer in the store, unfortunately. I saw them literally running out of the car into the store; it took them about 4 seconds. And I instructed the customer to get down in the corner and she did so and things could have been a different dynamic had there been other people here."

Haffey has been in the jewelry business for almost 36 years and had never been robbed, but now he's made some changes and installed more security.

He says he plans to be in the courtroom every day of the trials for the two suspects.

He adds that the community has really shown their support for his family while they get back to business.

They’ve already hit the ground running, and now the grand opening of Consumer Cellular in Redmond is looking to hire more employees, and soon.

Consumer Cellular President John Marick says they have 50 employees right now; some of them transferred in from the former T-Mobile business.

"And then we're anticipating 150 by the end of the year. So that kind of gets us starting, in terms of filling up this facility. And then that's just going to keep going for the next several years; we're anticipating getting to about 500-600 before we're done hiring here."

Marick says they will hold their first job fair at their Redmond facility on August 16th. You can get more information by calling Consumer Cellular.

Consumer Cellular is the exclusive wireless provider for AARP members and a top-rated carrier that provides no contract cell phones and service plans to those over 50.

Bend's own Ashton Eaton will go for the gold in the men's decathlon Thursday.

To celebrate and rally for Ashton, the Tower Theatre will live stream some of the events, beginning with the javelin throw at 10:30 in the morning.

Tower Theatre spokesman Ray Solley spoke with Ashton's mom, Roz. “She told Ashton what we were doing, and she told us that he said 'oh that is so cool.' So the whole family is aware that all of Bend will be rallying behind him live at the Tower on Thursday morning."

Solley says the doors will open at 9:30 and the event is free. They encourage you to wear your Mountain View colors; because he graduated as a Cougar or your “Duck” yellow and green.

They will also show Ashton's events from the previous day. Doors will open at 9:30 a.m.

Scott Cooper, the former Executive Director of the Partnership to End Poverty has moved on the lead Neighbor Impact, and Jason Carr of Prineville will assume the Partnership's directorship on September first.

Carr is currently working with Economic Development for Central Oregon and says he is looking forward to working to bring success to the area in different ways.

"Already I've had some people ask me 'why would you make the jump from economic development to more of the social services realm? And I think that there's really a lot of similarities between economic development and community development, in the sense that it's about raising the awareness of where the local economy needs help and improvement and how we can help make Central Oregon a better place to live for all citizens."

Carr says the crux of the work is a little bit different; but to goals are the same. He says he's dedicated to helping those thrust into poverty get the help they need to lift themselves out of poverty.

Updating you on the rafting accident that killed one woman. Deschutes County Sheriffs Sgt. Vance Lawrence reports that Sunday evening Angela Chase, 48, and Sherie Smith, 50, both of Portland, were in a rubber raft and missed a crucial take - out sending them into some violent water at Lava Island Falls.

Angela Chase was rescued by Bend Fire, but Sherie Smith drowned.

Vance states that the falls is a treacherous stretch of water when the two women went through the falls and rapids, both fell out of the raft.

The investigation is continuing as to if there were other causes for the accident.

Deschutes County will expand the jail without asking for a bond measure.

A 144-bed expansion is planned for the Deschutes County jail. According to Deschutes County Sheriff Larry Blanton, the expansion will not cost the taxpayers any more money.

The plan was approved by a unanimous vote by the Deschutes County Board of Commissioners.

The funding will come from the Deschutes County general fund, and the Sheriff Office's existing budget "we will sell a bond that, as the bids come in, what we think professionals have told us that it is going to cost us with existing money, no cut in service at the sheriff's office has and existing money, no cut in service that Deschutes County have we will be able to move forward and pay the debt service on that and enhance quality of life and continue to provide the very best public safety we can for the community"

In 2010, voters rejected a 45 million dollar bond measure for a 300-bed expansion of the jail.

Between same sex kiss-ins, boycotts, and the National Chick-Fil-A Appreciation Day last week, chicken and politics have become intertwined.

In a religious publication, the owner of Chick-Fil-A stated that he thought of marriage as one man and one woman, which sparked the controversy.

Mike Lovely, board member for P-FLAG, a support and advocacy group for parents, family and friends of lesbians and gays, says that some of the reaction has been over the top "I did not think it was the right thing to do for mayors and what have you, to not make them welcome in the cities, I felt the best way to get to them is in their pocketbooks, just do not spend money there"

There have been bans on Chick-Fil-A proposed by the mayors of a number of cities including Boston and Chicago.

Lovely added that people on both sides of the isle seem look for something to fight about when they should be looking for ways we can get along.

Dispatchers and Fire bosses say all of the heavy smoke that descended on the Bend area Monday afternoon is mostly likely due to very large fires burning as far away as California.

The largest fire near central Oregon, The Lava Fire, near Fort Rock, may also be adding smoke.

The lightning storm that roared through Central Oregon on Sunday brought with it 33 hundred lightning strikes and sparked about 25 new fires. The largest is about 10-12 acres burning in the Lake Billy Chinook area.

One brush fire has been affecting traffic about four miles south of Redmond for much of the afternoon. ODOT's Tripcheck was urging drivers on highway 97 to use caution in that area.

The lightning storm also struck a house in Sisters, and the First Presbyterian Church in Bend, near Bend High School. Bend Fire officials say that fire did an estimated $75,000 in damage.

The Crook County Sheriff's office is reporting that a Prineville man accidently crashed into the Powell Butte Country Store, and injured a worker inside.

The crash happened Saturday afternoon, and the impact was strong enough that a person inside the store received minor injuries.

The Crook County Sheriff's Office says 21 year old David Milks of Prineville was driving a 1997 Mercury Sable and Milks says he applied the brakes to stop, but they failed and he wasn't able to avoid striking the building.

An employee of the store was struck by equipment inside the store. There was also notable damage to the exterior and interior of the store.

According to the owner of the vehicle, they had just had repair work done on the braking system. There were no citations issued in connection with Saturday's crash.

OSU-Cascades has received a $700,000 award to create technology that would use the vehicle engine itself to refuel itself using natural gas.

Energy Engineering Management Professor Chris Hagen will head the research with support from Colorado State University.

Hagen explains what the project's goal is: "Basically, it's a U.S. Department of Energy award to help promote the uses of natural gas for transportation in the United States, because, for green house gas and energy security, natural gas has a lot to offer. And so we're working on a self-fueling approach, where we have the vehicle set up to fuel itself."

Hagen says he will employ about 13 students on the project that will take about two years to complete. the $700,000 grant is one of the largest research awards ever received by OSU-Cascades.

Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley along with two other cosponsors has introduced a bill, which would target for-profit colleges who advertise job training but do not offer the needed certifications or training for graduates to find employment after graduation.

The "Protecting Students From Worthless Degrees Act" would limit the availability of funding to schools which according to Merkley, take advantage of students and tax payers, "these programs end up with folks just attending for weeks or months because a lot of them, you know once they are in the program they have already paid their tuition often for a year and they have already lost a years worth of financial support but they quickly find out the program is basically a scam and so they drop out, which you can understand but they still are on the hook for that whole years worth of payments."

Non-accredited schools are currently eligible for a wide range of grants and loans.

Merkley hopes this bill will help protect students from wasting time and money, and help protect the state from making bad investments in useless degrees.

U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon says both he and Senator Ron Wyden did not like what they read in a recent cyber-security bill that was up for vote in the Senate.

"Well, both Senator Wyden and I voted against cloture, and the reason why is this bill was not ready for prime time. The whole goal was to have major infrastructure like oil refineries utilize security measures so that hackers could not access they systems, control their valves and so forth. But what the bill actually did, is that it failed to require any security measures. "

Merkley says instead the bill granted protections to companies with existing cyber- security, while allowing for infringement on personal privacy protections like access to everyone's email.

Merkley says there does need to be more cyber-protection; so the bill will go back into committee for re-working before it's back on the Senate floor again.

A Crook County Sheriffs Deputy was responding to a call for medical aid when he failed to negotiate a corner and over corrected twice, causing his patrol car to roll, but it landed on its wheels partially blocking the northbound lane of Highway 27.

Sgt. Travis Jurgens with the Crook County Sheriff’s Office reports the deputy, Adam Neider, was on Highway 27 about 22 miles south of Prineville when the accident occurred around 5:40 Friday night.

He was examined at the scene by Crook County Fire and Rescue, but he was uninjured. He was wearing a seatbelt at the time.

Oregon State Police conducted the investigation; no citations were issued.

The Lava Fire, as it is being called, is the largest wild fire in Oregon.

Fire fighters have been creating “black lines” around the blaze, using controlled burns to eliminate the fuel and box in the fire so it can burn out.

As of Friday, the fire was 70 percent contained.

Lucinda Nolan of the Central Oregon Fire Management Partnership says that while it may affect traffic, it should not be too big of a disruption, "if you are traveling in that area, fire traffic is heavy in the morning and evening hours there is a lot of resources up there and you will probably see a lot of air traffic as well, but other than that i think people can still come down and enjoy the area and they will not be effected."

With the controlled burns, the fire now covers over twenty thousand acres.

Residents should expect to see smoke column in addition to the increased traffic over the next few days.

The City of Bend has hired Carolyn Eagen as its new business advocate.

Eagen replaces Jon Skidmore who was promoted to Assistant City Manager earlier this year.

Eagan worked as the Regional Economist for the Oregon Employment Department, and has served as Board Chair for Commute Options for Central Oregon and other organizations.

The Bend Business Advocate staffs the Bend Economic Development Advisory Board and generally works with the community, city processes and local business support organizations to promote a better economy for Bend.

The Oregon State Board of Higher Education today endorsed Oregon State University – Cascades’ expansion into a four-year university.

The Oregon State University branch campus has existed as a “2+2” model since it was founded in 2001, providing upper-division and graduate courses towards Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. The OSBHE endorsement now allows OSU-Cascades to offer freshman and sophomore courses, providing a full four-year experience for students in what has been the state’s only major population area without the benefit of a four-year university.

The decision to endorse the expansion will enable the branch campus to increase enrollment towards OSU’s obligation in the state’s 40-40-20 goal, by attracting four-year students from within and outside the Central Oregon region, in addition to transfer and 2+2 students. Officials anticipate an enrollment of 3,000-5,000 students by 2025.

The Central Oregon community showed an outpouring of support for the expansion in the weeks leading up to the endorsement. Nearly 60 individuals and businesses made gift commitments totaling $1.575 million to demonstrate local support for a four-year campus, far exceeding the original $1 million goal.

GOP candidate for Secretary of State, Knute Buehler presented his plan for reforms to the "PERs" system, a topic that he believes will be in the forefront during the November election.

Buehler says the way the system runs now, it's just a matter of time before the state will implode from the pay-out responsibility to retired employees on the PERs system: "With PERs, the comparison is like a category 5 hurricane off the Oregon coast. And we're starting to feel the winds blow. And some of the damage is already occurring. And it's not if this is going to hit, it's just how much damage is going to occur when this comes on shore."

He's proposing eliminating tax refunds for out of state residents, the practice of double dipping, after someone retires and capping the cost of living adjustments to the first $24,000 of benefits.

Buehler says his proposal will batten down the hatches to decrease the damage.

By the end of the day Friday we could know if the Oregon Board of Higher Education approved the proposal allowing OSU-Cascades to offer four years of classes.

State Representative Jason Conger will be at that meeting in Salem and says the community support is overwhelming, the need is terrific and the fact that much of the infrastructure is in place so having a four year college in Bend would be a relatively low cost to the university system.

"I'm really optimistic and very hopeful. This is the next key step in the growth of that institution in Central Oregon. And if OSU-Cascades is going to expand and going to grow to meet it's potential, to expand that availability, the academic excellence in Central Oregon and serve the whole state, this is the next step that has to happen."

Conger says the Bend City Council's vote of financial support Wednesday night is another example of how the community has come together in a very short amount of time to make the college a reality.

U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon introduced the “Crooked River Collaborative Water Security Act” with Senator Ron Wyden.

Merkley says the heart of the legislation is about improving the economy in Central Oregon by assuring free flowing water for all users who depend on and use the Crooked River. "Some of this allocates water to the city that's essential for new industry to be able to come. Whether it the type of center that Apple and Facebook has done or other forms of manufacturing enterprises. And certainly in terms of health of the river, that's a big issue with sportsmen and recreationists who come. That’s definitely a factor also with the long-term stable supply for the farm community. So on all three fronts, it has economic advantages. "

Merkley says the next step is for the bill to go through the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and will hopefully receive to blessing there and then it will go to the Senate floor for a vote.

He says the bill was endorsed by a wide variety of groups including the City of Prineville, Crook County, the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, American Rivers and many more.

"Let’s Stirrup Some Memories" is the theme of the 93rd Annual Deschutes County Fair, and crowds are doing just that.

Fair Director Ross Rogers says there are so many exciting attractions and events that people are buzzing about including the Family Fun Zone. "The Family Fun Zone is over an acre of ground, just full of activities. Everything in the Family Fun Zone area is absolutely free with gate admittance. That means all the games, all the prizes are free. The pony rides are free, the petting zoo is free, the dock dogs -Dog Jumping Championship trials are free in the Family Fun Zone."

Rogers says the big concerts are very popular also; and they are free, but you do need to get a pass to enter.

He also reminds people that traffic does get very heavy around 4 p.m., and the shuttle they offer is convenient and will take that traffic frustration away.

Kyle Frick with Mid Oregon Credit Union in Bend is warning of a scam that seems to be tricking a lot of people lately.

"The newest thing that we're hearing about is that people are getting phone calls where they are told they will get one personal bill paid for by the federal government through a new economic development program supported by President Obama. So anytime it sounds too good to be true- it usually is."

In cases like these the scammmers use phone calls, emails, even door to door visits to say they just need some personal information in order to process the claim for the "free" payment.

Besides the danger of giving out personal information like your Social Security number, customers also run the risk of not paying a utility bill or other important bill on time and could incur late fees or even have their services shut off.

Frick says its really important that you "know who you're doing business with."

The Bend City Council threw their support behind the development of a four year college in Bend Wednesday night.

After a very long city council meeting, councilors were eager to pass a motion that supports OSU/Cascades proposed expansion to a four year campus here in Bend.

Councilor Kathie Eckman read the motion: “I move that the council authorize granting $125,000 to Oregon State University, to be used only for development of a 4-year college campus in Bend. And to make available an additional $125,000 to pay city fees imposed on the development of the anticipated 4 year OSU Campus in Bend. The construction and operation of a 4-year college in campus will contribute to economic development. and I know all of us agree to that, very much so. I further move to direct staff to prepare a resolution for council; consideration to include details regarding the payment."

The Council had approached the subject during a July council meeting, but decided to make it formal last night; and they did with a unanimous "yes" vote.

U.S. Representative Greg Walden of Oregon ushered two plans through the house that would transfer federal lands to local control in La Pine. The “La Pine Land Conveyance Act" transfers 150 acres to the La Pine Park and Rec District to create a permanent home for the La Pine Rodeo, “The Greatest Little Rodeo in Oregon;” and also transfers about 750 acres to build a new wastewater treatment facility. "Among other reasons, it's a job creator. Expanding out the rodeo grounds really will help them grow jobs in this remote rural community in Deschutes County. And in addition, of course, transferring the other lands will allow them to have a library on their own city ground and be able to take care of the water needs for the community."

He says the transfer will help the city fix some huge water problems. "S270 will provide the city with 750 acres, so it can build a new wastewater treatment facility; which will allow the community to move off of septic systems and on to municipal sewer and water systems. They have a real problem in La Pine, with a fairly high water table and issues related to septic systems. So this will help solve that."

Walden says this transfer will bring a big economic boost to la pine and create more jobs. He goes on to say 78% of the City of La Pine is surrounded by federal lands; and this transfer will give the city more control over it's own community.

Walden says he worked with Senator Ron Wyden and the citizens of La Pine on this proposal, and now it's headed to the President's desk to be signed into law.

Lars Larson hosted his program from the KBND booth at the Deschutes County Fair today, and invited Deschutes County Commissioner Alan Unger to join him.

Topics of conversation included Lars questioning Unger if private enterprise could do much of the county's work more efficiently and cheaper.

Unger says the county includes private businesses often in their decision-making. "We just went through a process of having a road committee. We invited contractors in and other agencies to come sit down and say 'You know with the rural schools money going away, how are we going to be able to fund out roads, because that's where we use our money. And we sat down and we figured out how we could put more money on the road, reduce our overhead expenses with our shop and that sort of thing and use our contractors and our private business just a little bit more."

Unger says the County has been efficiently budgeting the areas they are responsible for and always listens to the public's input on projects.

Lars also questions if the County should regulate private citizens and how they choose to use their land; citing the "Pumpkin Patch" controversy last fall, where the land owner was subject to a fine because he was operating outside of state regulations.

Unger: "Generally, at the County, we just ignore those things, but when people bring them up to us, to our attention, we have to discuss them.” Lars: “Should that law be changed?” Unger: “We did do some change in law two sessions ago to allow for agri-tourism. So I think it allows what he's doing. And we try the best we can in the County to accommodate what they're doing to allow them to adjust so they can fit within the rules."

Unger says he feels they had a satisfactory outcome with the “Pumpkin Patch” issue; and they are continuing to work on the "Farm Wedding" aspect of state rules and regulations.

"What we need to do is come up with a balance between neighbor's rights and the property rights. And if you have a neighbor who's doing wedding every weekend, all summer long and they're having parties into the night, you can get tired of it. So, is that right to let your neighbor do that, or should there be a balance between the two and that's what we're trying to achieve."

Unger says the County has taken state law and allows people to do six events each year, as long as they fall within state requirements.

Olympic athlete and professional cyclist Chris Horner of Bend is back from London. He was on the Olympic cycling team that just barely missed out on the Bronze medal.

Horner says Saturday's race was a wild ride, where riders had to dodge spectators on the narrow 155 mile race. In a live interview on the 1110 KBND morning news, Horner said there were one million spectators watching along the route.

(Question from 1110 KBND Host Lori Raab) "So this has been one of the craziest and most dangerous races you have ever been in?"

(Horner) "For dry weather, sunshine, perfect weather....absolutely. It was unbelievable with the spectators, they were so huge and just spilling over onto the course and the course was so narrow to begin with and so they were just forcing the field of riders. And we have 150 riders that normally we're used to fans running back off of the course. But this is the Olympics so you have not only cycling fans there, but you have world Olympics fans, who don't know cycling, but they want to watch an Olympic event, so they don't know to run away!" (laughter) Tickets weren't required for much of the course, so hundreds of thousands of people line up to see the London Games up close.

Horner says he saw one guy taking a picture out two feet on the road. He didn't jump out of the way when the racers came through and smacked into a rider who then crashed into several other cyclists. The impact sent the spectator into the crowd, knocking down several other fans in the process.

This weekend in Central Oregon, Horner is putting on a special local fundraiser to support "Live Strong". It's called the "Cascade Gran Fondo" and it's a community ride, not a "race". For more details you can go to the westie: www.cascadegranfondo.com.